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Curious. I was wondering roughly how long a "typical" gyuto lasts with all the thinning/sharpening that goes on. Of course that depends on the type of steel, who's doing the sharpening/thinning, how often...etc.

...before one's knuckles hit the chopping board. 10 years for a SS? 12 for a AS?

A home cook vs a professional cook, softer steel vs harder steel, overall height of the blade, etc, will all make a big difference! I have a gyuto that is around 8 years or so old and going strong still, but I am a home cook.

AGC8

Post subject: Re: "Typical" lifespan of a gyuto

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 7:28 am

Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2012 10:16 pmPosts: 38

Yah. Lot's of variables. Just curious. Wanted to get a rough idea. I don't see myself getting my knives sharpened anywhere as often as some of the knifeheads on this forum. So mine should last longer than most (people here).

Planning to have "enough knives" to put in rotation (first sharpened by a "pro"). So that I won't have to make too many trips to the local sharpener downtown.

Don't know if I'll bother trying to learn to sharpen my own knives. Might by a 2-sided stone and give it a try using one of my old knives. If I get into thinning/sharpening...and am happy with my skills...I might start attempting to thin/sharpen my own good knives. If I get bored...then my knives will continue to be sent to the sharpener's.

Sharpening seems to terrify most people, but it's really not bad at all to learn and do for yourself. Get the 5 piece starter kit from CKTG with the Bester 500, Bester 1200, Rika 5K, deburring block and eye loupe. There are plenty of instructional video's on Youtube and on CKTG's site. There are some professional sharpeners that are very good and understand that the edge on a single bevel Japanese knife is different from a double bevel, different from a Henkels/Wustoff, different from a scissor, different from a lawnmower blade, etc. and use the appropriate tools/methods for each type of edge. Other people just take their knives to a hardware store and all of those blades get sharpened the same on a single stone. I've seen knives come back with burned edges, really rough gouge marks, etc. A "local" sharpener kinda scares me since they often have no clue what they are doing, especially with thinner, harder Japanese knives unless you are lucky and actually have a good sharpener near you!

When you can sharpen a knife yourself, you can tune the edges to how you want them to perform, adjust your angles, etc.

AGC8

Post subject: Re: "Typical" lifespan of a gyuto

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 8:32 am

Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2012 10:16 pmPosts: 38

By "local sharpener" i meant from a Japanese knife shop. Not some "joe-blow" with a grinding wheel at the local Wal Mart. The guy I'm thinking about taking my knives to uses only synthetic and natural stones, is a chef by day, part owner of a knife shop. He's supposed to be good.

I'm not really "terrified" as some people are of damaging their knives. Just that I might buy some starter setup. Go at it for a while and throw in the towel. I might not. But you never know. I might get fed up with setting up/procedure/cleanup. I don't know. Might actually get into it and find it relaxing.

Just curious about the longevity of the "typical knife" used by home cooks of chefs. To get a general idea.

Good, glad it's a good local guy!! Get either the kit or a beston 1200 and rika 5K, great way to maintain the edges the other guy puts on!! If you really hate it, people will jump on those stones quickly!! I like sharpening, it's kinda relaxing!

AGC8

Post subject: Re: "Typical" lifespan of a gyuto

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 3:16 pm

Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2012 10:16 pmPosts: 38

Will consider those 2 stones to start. Or something similar (e.g. Naniwa 1000 and the Rika 5000). Didn't think people would be buying slightly used stones. Any how we'll see how this goes. Do I bother buying stones or just send my knives to a sharpener? Hmmm...

I still have some Wusthof Classics, including a 6" and an 8" chef's knife (similar to a Gyuto) that are in good shape after 40+ years of use, including sharpening by a variety of methods. Of course, I'm a home cook and so they have seen relatively light use over the years, especially the last few years as I've transitioned to J-knives.

Assuming you aren't doing anything stupid to it, I'll give you an off-the-cuff generalization and say never for a home cook(maybe your kids will), and a decade or so for a pro cook. Of course, that would be an average.

Most people either don't sharpen enough to ever wear it down that much, or they sharpen for fun, and end up buying different knives for fun. It's pretty rare to see a knife that wasn't put though a powered-pull-through sharpener that is legitimately used down to a nub. It's like seeing a car with 1,000,000 miles on it.

RDCollins wrote:I still have some Wusthof Classics, including a 6" and an 8" chef's knife (similar to a Gyuto) that are in good shape after 40+ years of use, including sharpening by a variety of methods. Of course, I'm a home cook and so they have seen relatively light use over the years, especially the last few years as I've transitioned to J-knives.

Ok thanks RDC. As I thought. So my J-knives should last me pretty much my lifetime. No electric sharpeners for me. As I said...I might try sharpening my own knives when I'm satisfied with my skills (after practicing on my old cheap knives). Meanwhile, I plan to have my good JP knives sharpened by a seasoned sharpener. And also being a home cook...my knives should last roughly 40 years as well with the harder steel and "pro" thinning/sharpening.

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